Netflix is killing cable. How many times have you heard that? (Admittedly, you probably heard it a lot more before Netflix's price hike and the whole Quikster thing.) But after years of painting streaming services as the devil, a new report says that the cable companies may be considering a Faustian deal: signing a pact with Netflix and offering it as an optional service straight from your cable box.

Netflix honcho Reed Hastings has recently met with major cable representatives, Reuters claims. Specific names aren't named, but the publication says that talks were held with "some of the largest U.S. cable companies." While several sources stepped forward to say Netflix could be added to cable company set-top boxes-- presumably similar to the apps found in Smart TVs -- one said that the deals could involve cable companies directly selling Netflix to their customers, with a Netflix charge appearing on customer cable bills.

Several major hurdles could halt the rumored deals, however: Netflix may need to revisit their existing streaming contracts, and, well, Netflix and the cable companies don't exactly hold a lot of love for each other in their hearts.

Last week, Hastings told investors that moving to cable is "not in the short term, but it's in the natural direction for us in the long term." If a deal was struck, cable companies could come out looking user-friendly and Netflix could become available to a more mainstream user base that doesn't necessarily have Rokus, Smart TVs or gaming consoles.

Is this another in a long line of questionable actions by Netflix, or a genuinely good move? What do you think?